Data Equity for Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander People in Reproductive Health Research.

Though racial and ethnic disparities in sexual and reproductive health outcomes are receiving greater interest and research funding, the experiences of Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (NHPI) people are often combined with those of other racial and ethnic minority groups or excluded from data collection altogether. Such treatment is often rationalized because Asian American and NHPI groups comprise a smaller demographic proportion than other racial or ethnic groups, and the model minority stereotype assumes that these groups have minimal sexual and reproductive health needs. However, Asian American and NHPI people represent the fastest-growing racial-ethnic groups in the United States, and they face disparities in sexual and reproductive health access, quality of care, and outcomes compared with those of other races and ethnicities.

Surveying the persistence of age- and gender-based restrictions on over-the-counter emergency contraception across pharmacies in Los Angeles County, CA.

Background: Over-the-counter levonorgestrel emergency contraception (OTC EC) is safe and effective but underutilized for postcoital pregnancy prevention. Unnecessary restrictions imposed by pharmacies and pharmacy workers may impede EC uptake.

Objective: To assess the persistence of age- and gender-based barriers to OTC EC access among pharmacists and pharmacy staff across Los Angeles, CA.

Discrepant abortion reporting by interview methodology among men from the United States National Survey of Family Growth (2015-2017).

Objective: To examine discrepancies in men's abortion reporting when queried via face-to-face interview versus audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (ACASI) in the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG).

Study Design: The NSFG collects nationally representative data on family life, sexual behavior, and reproductive health in the United States. The questionnaire is administered to participants via face-to-face interview (FTF), with selected items also asked of the same participant via ACASI for direct comparison.

Access to male sexual and reproductive health services in publicly funded California clinics in 2018.

Objectives: To characterize the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services available to men from publicly funded family planning clinics in California.

Study Design: We conducted a cross-sectional telephone survey in 2018 to compare the accessibility of SRH services for male clients at Planned Parenthood clinics in California to those visiting a random sample of 200 other publicly funded family planning clinics, selected from a California Department of Health Care Services list of 773 that had served at least 15 male clients in the prior year. A representative at each clinic answered questions about provision of 20 clinical services.

Relating Chronic Pelvic Pain and Endometriosis to Signs of Sensitization and Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction.

Chronic pelvic pain is a frustrating symptom for patients with endometriosis and is frequently refractory to hormonal and surgical management. While these therapies target ectopic endometrial lesions, they do not directly address pain due to central sensitization of the nervous system and myofascial dysfunction, which can continue to generate pain from myofascial trigger points even after traditional treatments are optimized. This article provides a background for understanding how endometriosis facilitates remodeling of neural networks, contributing to sensitization and generation of myofascial trigger points.

Contributions of Charged Residues in Structurally Dynamic Capsid Surface Loops to Rous Sarcoma Virus Assembly.

Unlabelled: Extensive studies of orthoretroviral capsids have shown that many regions of the CA protein play unique roles at different points in the virus life cycle. The N-terminal domain (NTD) flexible-loop (FL) region is one such example: exposed on the outer capsid surface, it has been implicated in Gag-mediated particle assembly, capsid maturation, and early replication events. We have now defined the contributions of charged residues in the FL region of the Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) CA to particle assembly.

Atomic Modeling of an Immature Retroviral Lattice Using Molecular Dynamics and Mutagenesis.

Defining the molecular interaction between Gag proteins in an assembled hexagonal lattice of immature retrovirus particles is crucial for elucidating the mechanisms of virus assembly and maturation. Recent advances in cryo-electron microscopy have yielded subnanometer structural information on the morphology of immature Gag lattices, making computational modeling and simulations feasible for investigating the Gag-Gag interactions at the atomic level. We have examined the structure of Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) using all-atom molecular dynamics simulations and in vitro assembly, to create the first all-atom model of an immature retroviral lattice.